A New World
by KaiserKris
Summary: This is a sequel to my fic, In Ba Sing Se, which has Azula failing to take the city as its point of convergence. The Fire Lord has been defeated and the Hundred Year War is now over, though much of the world is still teetering on the edge of chaos and ruin. What will the new world that our heroes inhabit look like? Will peace reign, or might a new war begin?
1. Chapter 1

**The Southern Air Temple**

Once, this place was alive, constantly filled with activity, monks laughing and working, bringing in vegetables from the garden, baking fruit pies, catching up on the latest gossip from visiting Air Nomads. Aang remembered learning the art of airbending for the first time, remembered taking care of the young sky bison, of returning home after long travels and sharing stories of the world with Brother Gyatso and the others.

It didn't seem like it was that long ago to him, but to everyone else, it was a historical memory. And now, the beautiful, lively place that he remembered was a mass grave. Aang had come here with the intention of moving the bones to the ossuary, but he found himself unable to do it. _Let us stay,_ the bones seemed to beseech him, _so that others may remember what happened here._

Even the bones of Gyatso seemed to gently reproach him for wanting to move them, as if Aang were ashamed somehow, that in his desperate moments, Gyatso had forsaken his oath of peace. _I fought in the hope that I could live. And find you. I'm sorry that I could not._ The last time that Aang had seen Gyatso's bones, it had pushed him over the edge, into the Avatar State. Now, he could just sit quietly and sadly with them and think about how things might have been different.

 _You might have died, Aang, and the hope of the world with it. The earth took you but it also protected you. And look what you've become, Aang._

"I know." Aang replied quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "But I'm also the last airbender. What happens now? What if … what if I don't have children? Or I do, but none of them are airbenders? Does the cycle end?" _Am I also destined to be the last true Avatar?_

 _Do you really think the world would permit it to be so, Aang?_

Aang thought on that for a long moment. The balance of the world had been grievously upset by Sozin and the Hundred Year War- the Air Nomads had been wiped out and both the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom had been devastated. Aang suddenly remembered the utter serenity he had felt in the moment after the Fire Lord had been defeated and the healing rains had fallen on the charred remnants of the Wulong Forest.

But the Air Nomads were all dead. Devastated was there were, there were still hundreds of thousands of people- perhaps even a million- in the Water Tribes and tens of millions in the Earth Kingdom.

 _There must be balance in the world. It will find a way._

 **Fire Nation Palace:**

"Copper for your thoughts, my Lord?" Mai glanced up idly at Zuko, from her comfortable resting spot on his chest.

"Just thinking. There's a lot on my mind right now." Zuko replied, his eyes drifting down towards her. "We've got a lot of work to do-"

"We?" Mai replied with a soft little smile. "You're the Fire Lord. I'm just the Fire Lord's girlfriend. Unless you're thinking to do something about that …" She roused herself just enough so she could look him properly in the eye.

"Well, uh …" Zuko stammered, eyes suddenly widening.

"Relax." Mai finally replied with another faint smile. It was scandalous, really, how much Zuko made her smile, and sometimes even grin. Or laugh. _Or softly cry out his name in the night._ Mai liked thinking about _that._ That would scandalize _other people,_ even if few people had the decency to be shocked by it. "You don't have to make me an honest woman anytime soon, I promise." Idly, she reminded herself to order more of the moon tea from the royal herbalists.

"But what if I wanted to?" Zuko spoke softly, his voice nervous but held steady. It was obvious that he wasn't kidding- unlike his sister, Zuko had no particular ability to hide his true feelings. Which meant that he was seriously mooting the question. Or possibly even asking.

 _Maybe even proposing._

"I know we haven't been together for very long, Mai. But … this, us, feels good-"

"Sure, it feels okay." Mai replied with a faint smirk, unable not to needle him a little bit even though her heart was hammering like a forge in wartime. But she wouldn't tease him too much, because he was being heartbreakingly earnest right now. Her hand drifted over his chest and she could feel his own heart beating inside of it. Just like hers.

They'd been naked the entire time, but right now, in this moment, Mai _felt_ naked. The astonishing thing was that she wasn't running out of the room. She had built such walls around herself, to protect her from a world that didn't care about her or for her. And here she was, with this lovably sincere doof, who seemed to effortlessly climb over those walls.

The craziest thing about it was that she was okay with that.

"I love you and I want you by my side-" Zuko pulled her down for a long, sweet kiss- "Now and always. As my Fire Lady-"

"Fine." Mai replied with her trademark deadpan tone, before reconsidering and answering him with the same courageous vulnerability he'd shown her. "Yes." She smiled and this time, the smile reached her eyes and she could feel a tear or two welling up at the corner of her eyes. "Yes, I will." And this time it was her that pulled him into the kiss.

 **Jinzhai Province, NE Earth Kingdom:**

At night, one could see the fires of a thousand forges, pools of bright red light that illuminated the darkness. To the west of the city were amber fields of wheat and fat pasturelands filled with sheep and cowpigs. To the east, there was the sea, trafficked by an endless succession of thick, ugly barges and the odd glimmering warship. To the south, there was the road that led from Jinzhai to the other provinces of the Earth Kingdom, regularly infested with bandits.

It was to the north that the nightfires burned brightest, where rivers of molten slag poured out of vast coking ovens and thousands of labourers worked long and dangerous hours in deep tunnels and vast open pits. Enormous plumes of black smoke poured out of hundreds of smokestacks. Inside the city, less polluting but vastly noisy factories churned out colossal quantities of woolen and cotton cloth. A little further away and one would detect the fetid stench of tanneries, turning the skins of millions of cowpigs and sheep into leather.

Sometimes, when the wind blew the wrong way, a thin layer of soot and ash would cover everything in the city, and occasionally, a dark, foul mixture of smoke and fog would blanket everything. The inhabitants knew on the worst days to stay at home and pray to the spirits for a change in the wind, to bring back the fresher air from the sea.

Nobody could reasonably confuse Jinzhai for one of the lovelier parts of the world. And yet, Azula knew, it was may have potentially been the richest territory on the planet. _During the war, so much of the Fire Nation's industry was located here._ There were factories capable of turning out both war zeppelins and tundra tanks. Allegedly, the terms of peace forbade her to build any zeppelins and allowed her only a fairly small force of tanks- but she believed in being prepared. There were many warlords in the Earth Kingdom who looked jealously upon what she had been granted.

"Ew." Ty Lee said succinctly as she looked outside the carriage. "This place has a _lot_ of negative energy." She somewhat dramatically held her nose. "And it stinks! Of something different in every part, but always something! First it's barnyard stink and then it's something _way worse_ and then it's smoke and rotten eggs."

Azula smiled thinly. "I suppose it's not the loveliest of smells. But sometimes progress looks ugly when it's happening. Besides …" She turned towards her. "I don't look towards a country for beauty." Her eyes flitted over Ty Lee's curves. _Besides, this might just be temporary. I promised Mother that I wouldn't threaten Zuzu's throne or plot against him and I do intend to honor that, but there's no reason I can't expand my power in other directions._

 _The whole Earth Kingdom cries out for a strong hand and perhaps I'm the one to give it to them. I'm something of a hero in Ba Sing Se after all, liberating their precious Earth King and saving the city from that dreadful Combustion Man. Perhaps then the world could move on from the unpleasantness of the past and towards a better future._

 _Imagine what they'd say about you, Mother. Your precious children, sharing the world._

 _But such a thing would have to be done carefully, lest the Avatar become alarmed._

Azula had heard about what had happened to Father- his bending ripped away from him, leaving him an empty shell of a man. She imagined that he would have begged Mother to kill him. She knew that she couldn't live without the bright heat of fire in her veins, without the power to focus her being into deadly lightning. _I suppose Aang felt he was being merciful to Father. I don't think he could have been crueller._

"Aww, thank you." Ty Lee blushed in response and leaned in for a quick kiss before grinning and simply sitting right in Azula's lap. "You too- and we can take lots of trips to places too. Ty Lee's hand found Azula's. "And … after everything, we can be happy." She inclined her face towards Azula, big grey eyes meeting hers. "Azula?"

"Yes, Ty Lee?" Azula replied with a faint smile, her arms looping around Ty Lee's middle and her lips finding a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

"... promise me that you aren't hatching some crazy plan?" Ty Lee let out a pleased little sound in response to Azula's lips but she quickly focused herself again. "I … sometimes I worry that you're still scheming to rule the world. We … we got so lucky, Azula. You got just about everything you could have wanted. And things that I knew you weren't even thinking about. And you've become so much better. You're not even mean to the servants anymore!"

"Yes, I have learned that it's best to be feared _and_ loved." Azula replied. "Don't worry. You heard me promise Mother. Zuzu and I … I know he doesn't trust me yet, but I intend to show him that I'm no threat to him anymore. He can have his throne. He's proven himself worthy of it. I'm not going to do anything crazy." She punctuated the point with a few more soft kisses to her throat.

"Okay …" Ty Lee smiled and tilted her neck to allow Azula better access, before blushing deep. "We should … um. We're not _actually_ alone here."

Azula chuckled softly. "What, you mean, Hakka? You don't mind, do you? You've faithfully stood guard over us before."

"Do what you want, Your Majesty." Hakka shrugged, looking out the window. There was something about his language that suggested, however, that he had something to say. The Earthbender was remarkably unattractive, with a long bony face, limp greasy hair, a handful of missing teeth and a semi-permanent scowl, but he was honest and reliable. _I don't choose guards for their good looks. He's far from learned- I'm not even sure if he can read or write, but he's observant and more cunning than most suspect._

"... oh, out with it." Azula sighed. _He may be a servant, but he's the most faithful and reliable one I have._ She trusted him. "You want to say something, your Queen grants you permission to speak."

Hakka glanced over at her. "I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, your Majesty. And you know that I'd protect you both with my life. But if the Avatar came for you, Your Majesty- well. I'd fight for you, to the death, but I know my limits. I'd lose." He didn't say it, but the unspoken part to his statement was that Azula herself would lose, and as much as she truly hated admitting it, he was right. _Father was the most powerful bender on the planet, possibly the strongest such for a generation or more. And he lost. And Aang is only going to get more powerful._

"Your honesty is appreciated." Azula replied coolly. _It would reek of insubordination from anyone else, but I know Hakka. He can't help but speak the truth._ Part of her found it frustrating that he wouldn't grovel or beg for anything, the same way that other servants did. She also knew, however, that his loyalty came from a real place.

Azula honestly believed that he would die for her.

"You don't need to worry, though. Either of you. I'm not planning anything crazy, I promise." _It's not crazy, because the world needs me. It needs order. A strong hand to guide it into the future. But first, I need to demonstrate what I can do, and this place will do as well as any other._

 **Omashu:**

"Toph! You should come and se-" Sokka stopped. "Toph! You won't believe what I saw! There's all these posters up for a huge Earth Rumble! Hosted by King Bumi himself! He's inviting all the greatest Earthbenders from the Earth Kingdom! Apparently it's very important! And there's big cash prizes and a grand prize that apparently, is like, too awesome to even _say._ " Sokka took a deep breath and finally stopped talking for a second.

"So what? I mean, nice, Earth Rumble, but my Earth Rumble days are over, Sokka. I've moved on." Toph glanced in Sokka's general direction and smirked inwardly at what her seismic sense was telling her. _Spirits, Snoozles. You're smart, but you wouldn't know wisdom from a hole in the ground. What would you do without someone like me to help you around? Or Greaseface, I guess. She's pretty reliable, knows two from two._

".. are you serious, Toph?" Sokka's eyes bugged out.

"Hell no." Toph laughed. "Of course I'm going to enter into that Earth Rumble and _of course_ I'm going to win! Who's gonna be fighting against me? The Boulder? I mean, love the guy, but I kicked his ass ages ago and now I'm _way_ stronger. Whatever this special secret prize is, it's gotta be good, because it's gonna be mine, Snoozles." She grinned. "So you're gonna walk me over to wherever they sign up and get my seal on that." Toph affectionately punched Sokka's arm. "C'mon, let's go."

It was only a short walk over to the registration station where any number of large, heavily muscled men were signing up for the competition. Toph noticed as she walked closer to what she presumed was the booth, that people were starting to give her a bit of a berth. Heartrates were going up across the board. _Guess enough people know about me now that the little blind girl thing isn't really working any more. Oh well. I can deal with having an awesome reputation. It wasn't gonna last past this Earth Rumble anyway._

Technically, of course, Sokka was the one that ultimately pressed the Bei Fong family seal to the roll. One of the drawbacks of being blind was that she was illiterate by definition, though she'd run her fingers along enough old carvings to recognize the shapes of letters. _People should've stuck to clay tablets. All this paper stuff is just annoying. How's a blind girl supposed to read anything, anyway?_

"Half an hour out of my supervision and you two are already signing up for a bunch of fights. Unbelievable." Toph couldn't help but smile at the familiar voice, though a part of her was a little less thrilled by the inevitable makeout that Greaseface and Snoozles would spiritedly engage in. _But they love each other, and I guess that's pretty cool. It's not like-_ Toph wasn't sure how exactly she _did_ feel there. Or _who_ she'd rather be kissing. Or if it was _both_ of them.

She dashed the stupid thoughts out of her brain like unworthy competitors in an Earth Rumble. She was Toph Bei Fong and _Toph Bei Fong_ didn't mope around wondering what kind of person she liked or who she liked. She kicked ass and took names. She was the greatest earthbender in the whole world and the greatest earthbender of all time didn't have time for romance, let alone for awkward confusion about it.

"Don't you think it's a little unfair, Toph?" Suki fanned herself and Toph could easily imagine the enigmatic little smile on her face that all but screamed _I know what you're thinking about but I'm too classy to say anything about it._ "Hopefully someone comes along that can at least give you a little bit of a workout." Yep, _enigmatic smirk_ was written all over her tone. But her heartrate remained on an even keel. Unlike Snoozles, Greaseface wasn't easy to rattle.

"Pfft!" Sokka cut in, just at the right moment before the conversation became flirting- _what the hell did THAT come from?_ "Toph's too good for that. She'll just beat them all as fast as she beat the Boulder! Bam! Pow! Out of the arena. And we're gonna be there with them-"

That's when Greaseface's heartrate changed a little.

"... Sokka. We've talked out this. I need to go back to Kyoshi Island. The Warriors need me, at least for little while." Enigmatic smirk had probably left her face, to be replaced by rueful smile. Toph found herself fighting off an acute feeling of disappointment. _But we're like a threesome! Of friends. Who hang out. Yes. Just three pals._

"I know." Sokka replied a little sadly. "Duty calls." They pressed together again for a quick moment. "I mean …"

"I think you should stay here. Toph needs someone to help her count all the gold she's going to win. And I know how much you love Earth Rumble. But when you two are done here, you both should come up to Kyoshi Island. It's beautiful, with the snow falling on the mountains." _It's sweet that you love home, Greaseface._ Toph knew that Sokka missed home too. Her? She was just as happy to never see the place again. The last she'd heard from her parents, they'd sent bounty hunters to kidnap her.

The enigmatic grin returns again. "And maybe, just maybe, the two of you can keep each other out of trouble."

 **Fire Nation Capital**

Zuko poured his uncle a cup of tea, passing it over. "I'm … getting better at making tea. Mom can drink it with a straight face now."

Iroh laughed softly and gave it a sip. "Your brewing skills _are_ improving nephew. And you're looking well, besides. And … I hear you've got happy news. When were you going to tell your old uncle that you were going to be engaged?" Iroh's wrinkled face broke into the broadest of grins. "You both deserve every happiness."

"Thank you. It's going to be difficult, though." Zuko admitted. "I think most of the ordinary people are tired of war and are willing to give me a chance, but a lot of the nobles and the industrialists, they grew rich off the war. They don't want it to end." _They don't care that we've buried over a million of our sons and daughters over the last century and how many millions of others? An entire culture, the Air Nomads, wiped off the face of the Earth. Another near-genocide against the Southern Water Tribe. Countless burned and destroyed cities, towns and villages in the Earth Kingdom._

Iroh nodded. "It will be difficult." He took a breath and another sip of the tea, which really wasn't bad at all. _That's Zuko's way, he will keep trying, again and again, until he gets it right. Even if he has to try it every single wrong way first._ But how could he be anything but proud of the man his nephew was becoming? _He will make a wonderful Fire Lord, but I don't think he's ready. And he deserves a measure to time to be a young man and in love, to travel the world._

"I wish you weren't going away to Ba Sing Se." Zuko looked up from his tea cup at his uncle. "I could use your help here. But- you've done so much. I'll have to come visit sometime-"

"Zuko." Iroh's eyes met his. "I'm not leaving. Not yet. In a year or two, perhaps. But … perhaps, Zuko, you should go with Mai and travel. Maybe see the world with Aang and his friends. You've suffered so much and I think, I think it would do many people much good to see the Fire Lord and the Avatar travelling together. As friends. And you are friends. I can keep the business of the government operating for a time."

"... are you sure?" Zuko's eyes widened. "But I thought-"

"I will own that tea shop in Ba Sing Se, Zuko." Iroh smiled. "But I can wait a year or two. Let me deal with these nobles and industrialists. I can charm them, or remind them that there's a little bit of the old Dragon of the West in me after all." He chuckled softly and then his expression turned more reflective. "It will be good for you to see the world with new eyes, Zuko. The last time you were travelling you had … other objectives. It is amazing how things change. One day, you are hunting the Avatar and not even a year later, you are good friends with him."

 **Somewhere in the Far North of the Earth Kingdom:**

The only light in the cave was the dim one thrown off by a tallow candle- a precious item, for all of their tribe's fuel came from the animals that they hunted. No trees grew anywhere near them and the few low shrubs that existed were totally unsuitable to keep a fire going. Detsen knew that their ancestors a century ago had been vegetarian but they'd been forced to go back on that vow, in the struggle for survival. _Grandfather used to say that we had the choice of eating meat or dying._

 _And dying meant that the Fire Nation won._

As far as Detsen knew, the few dozen people in his tribe were the only remnant of the old Air Nomads on the face of the planet. He wondered if somewhere, perhaps as far a south as he was north, there was an angry young man wondering the same thing about _his_ small tribe. Or in the east. Or west. But just as likely, he personally knew every Air Nomad- if they could even be called that, on the planet.

 _But can we even call ourselves that, when we eat flesh and none of us can airbend? Not for lack of trying._

The elders had preserved a few writings depicting the stances of an airbender and a variety of techniques. The young ones learned to read from the writings and they all practiced the stances in their group activities. Most of his tribespeople thought that the exercises were just a tiny remnant of their tradition. But Detsen felt something else in his bones. _There is power in these pictures. In these words. But something is not allowing us to unleash it._

So he practiced. Again and again, until he fell exhausted, whenever he wasn't hunting for the tribe. Whenever he wasn't sneaking out to kill any Fire Nation soldiers that wandered too close to their encampment. There were not many of them. The mountains they lived in held little of value and the bitterly cold climate was difficult enough for Detsen and his people to survive in, let alone firebenders used to a tropical climate. _But I have taken a few of them to be judged by the spirits. Were it only more of them._

He was distracted from his thoughts by familiar footsteps scampering into the cave and when he turned, it was with a faint smile on his face, rather than the serious scowl he was best known for.

"Malu. You know I prefer not to be interrupted during my exercises." Detsen finally spoke, but he couldn't bring himself to sound angry about his little sister's sudden entrance.

"You should put a shirt on. It's _cold_ in here!" Malu rolled her eyes. "None of the girls are in here to impress, you know. And you've exercised your way through dinner. But I managed to save you some stew and butter tea. Which is good, because um, you might've hunted it. It'd be pretty awful if you didn't get any." Malu set down a bowl that, though probably steaming hot was no more than lukewarm now. He picked up the butter tea. _Still decently warm._ He wrapped his hands around the warm mug and took a sip.

"I don't feel the cold so much." Detsen was out in the elements often, hunting for his people, or making sure that nobody was poking around their mountains.

"You missed the _news._ " Malu insisted. "The Fire Lord is defeated and the war is over. We could probably even come out of hiding! The Avatar defeated the Fire Lord! And he's an airbender-"

"What about the rest of the Fire Nation?" Detsen asked pointedly. _Sozin's hand alone did not destroy our people._

"Well, they're leaving most of the Earth Kingdom. But I guess, a Fire Nation princess is ruling in Jinzhai in the Earth King's name. And the Fire Lord's son took over but now there's peace." Detsen tried not to glare, because of course Malu would be excited. She was young, significantly younger than even him. _And growing so quickly. She'll be a beauty. I'll have to beat up half the boys in the tribe._

"Peace. How can there be peace if a large part of the Earth Kingdom is ruled by a girl of Sozin's blood? Or a boy of Sozin's blood in the Fire Nation itself?" Detsen shook his head. "No. A truce. A chance for two sides to draw breath and wait for the Avatar to turn his attention to something else. There can be no real peace if _they_ still rule! If they even _live!"_ Despite himself, his voice rose. "We can't trust that there will be peace." He waved his arm and suddenly there was a gust of wind and the little tallow candle blew out, leaving them in near-total darkness, save for the tiny glimmer of dying sunlight from outside.

 _How could there be such a sudden gust of wind? Unless. Could it be true? Spirits. Did I just … airbend?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chameleon Bay:**

Aang read the bulletin several times, trying not to let hope burn too brightly, lest he be disappointed. There were several reports of airbenders popping up in various locations, one in Ba Sing Se, another one in Omashu, and reports of a whole tribe of possible remnant Air Nomads in the far north of the Earth Kingdom. Aang hadn't heard anything from the Fire Nation yet, but he imagined he would soon enough.

"... how are you doing?" Katara asked softly, offering a faint smile.

"It's … hard to believe." Aang replied. "And yet, it makes sense. The world isn't balanced if there aren't any airbenders. And … something changed, in the Forest. I think there might have been a small shift." He paused for a moment. "Maybe. But … I need to investigate this. If even one of these reports is true, it's …" It was difficult to imagine, not actually being the last airbender.

"We." Katara corrected softly and took his hand. "We need to go investigate this." She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Where you go, I go." She sighed slightly. "It won't be quite the same without some of the others." Sokka and Toph were off in Omashu dealing with the Earth Rumble, Zuko was in the Fire Nation capital and Suki was on Kyoshi Island working to train a new cohort of Kyoshi Warriors. "I wonder what they're up to right now …"

It was then that Aang saw two familiar faces and grinned broadly. "Katara-!"

"I know, it's a little different without the gang, but I think we can-" Katara continued speaking, hearing the words without hearing the tone.

"Hey guys." Zuko padded up to where they were, waving and grinning. It wasn't long before Aang caught him in a hug, which before long, Katara joined as well. "I don't suppose you guys have room for two more, do you?" Zuko looked back to indicate Mai, who cautiously waved towards the two of them. "Uncle is taking things over for a little while in the Fire Nation, so … I thought we could travel with you two for awhile. I mean, if that's okay."

"I think we can find the room on Appa." Katara replied with a broad grin and then waved towards Mai. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, now that we're not fighting each other and all that."

"Yeah. Nice to meet you." Mai ghosted back at Katara, her tone cool and distant.

"Mai just takes … a bit to warm up to people." Zuko smiled faintly. "But it'll be great. I uh, never really got to appreciate travelling and stuff properly. I might've been a little too occupied with, you know, hunting you down." His faint smile turned into an awkward grin. "Pretty amazing how things change, huh?"

"So … are we looking for airbenders?" Mai finally spoke. "We heard news in the capital. It must be … quite something to hear about." Aang was inclined to take that as her honest attempt at being sympathetic, or at least, that was how he was going to interpret it until he had some evidence to the contrary. The Fire Nation lady might not have been the warmest of personalities, but she couldn't be too bad. Zuko was obviously crazy about her.

"Ba Sing Se is … probably the closest to here? But things in that city aren't great." Katara frowned slightly. A significant part of the city had been destroyed in the battle of Sozin's Comet and conditions in the city were bad. There were also grim reports that the Dai Li were still active within its walls, led by one of Long Feng's premier lieutenants. _Didn't a fair number of the Dai Li leave Ba Sing Se, though? I seem to remember there was a fair number of them serving with Azula in Jinzhai._

That thought made Katara shudder- that anyone thought it was a good idea to put _Azula_ in charge of anything.

"We can send a hawk to Sokka and Toph and they can investigate and tell us if we should be going in person." Aang thought for a moment. "I feel like we should investigate this tribe in the north. If they're … if any Air Nomads survived, I want to meet them. They might have knowledge that was long lost. Because right now, just about all that exists about airbending and Air Nomad culture is what I can remember. And … yeah."

"Seems fair." Zuko replied and put his hand on Aang's shoulder. "And hey, you don't have to go by yourself. You've got us."

"Great." Mai deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "We're going to be spending our pre-honeymoon freezing our butts off in the godforsaken far nor-"

"WHAT?" Katara's eyes opened wide as she span onto Zuko. "You're _engaged?"_ She grinned broadly. "Congratulations! When were you going to tell us?"

"Kinda … happened not too long ago." Zuko chuckled, blushing slightly. "But um, yeah …" He held up the golden bracelet on his arm and it wasn't hard to see a similar one on Mai. "We're planning to travel for maybe a year or so and then, I think the idea is to get married and do the whole Fire couple thing."

"That's awesome, Zuko!" Aang grinned, though it made him wonder if Katara was expecting something of that sort immediately. It wasn't that he didn't like the idea of being married to her- after all, he loved and her and wanted to be with her forever, but just that marriage was a really big thing. _And I'm only thirteen._ Honestly, he liked the notion of taking things a little slow, especially now that it seemed more possible to actually _do_ that. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Zuko replied with a smile. "So … off to the not-quite-Far North, then?" He turned towards Mai with a big smile. "You'll love Appa." _Appa sure loves Zuko. And so does Momo. What was that awful joke Suki said about Zuko once? Oh yeah, that he has animal magnetism. Because animals love him._ Aang felt bad that their lives were such that it'd taken them so long to realize that he and Zuko could be friends, but the good part was that they had the rest of their lives to be best friends.

 **Omashu:**

"An Earthbending tournament." Lu looked askance at his father. "If you do not mind me asking, what is the point? You are already recognized as the one of the great warlords of the Kingdom. We've enough money." The boy set down the paper skeptically. "Forgive me, but it seems like it would undermine your dignity as a leader."

The General laughed heartily and took the paper from his son. "Ha, you speak like a bureaucrat, boy. People respect strength and what better way to prove my strength and prowess than in a bending arena? Besides, this isn't just any tournament and the _real_ prize isn't money, Lu. It's being hosted by King Bumi himself- a man of well over a century at this point." His attention turned back to Lu. "The King of Omashu is traditionally, since days of old, the strongest Earthbender in the Earth Kingdom. The Champion of the realm. The winner of this tournament will be named the heir to the throne of Omashu."

Lu might have been a reticent lad, but he wasn't stupid. "So … you would control both the family clique's territory and that of Omashu. That would make us the dominant faction inside the Earth Kingdom." There was one thing, though, that was far from reluctant about. "That would give us the strength to oust that firebending witch from our northeastern cities."

"Hah!" The General laughed. "I'd like to oust her from my bed after a good tumble. I know you don't like Firebenders and Spirits know we've enough cause to hate them, but she's a clever bitch, though …" He guffawed again. "I suppose she's closer to your age than mine. But I'm afraid, my boy, I've got other plans for you."

"Yes, Father." Lu nodded. "I am to wed Toph Beifong, which brings her family territories into our orbit. That is, if I can convince or charm her into doing so. Regardless of what her parents told you, I don't think you just … tell her to do things. You've heard the tales."

"Hah! Sounds like my kind of woman, it's true. In a decade or so, at least."

"You're _gross,_ Father." Lu sighed. "But I will do my best to bring her into our orbit." He paused for a moment, as if afraid to bring it up. "Do you think you can beat her, Father? I know you're by far the most powerful Earthbender in our territories- but she's been the earthbending master to the _Avatar._ I don't think anyone has actually defeated her in an earthbending battle."

"I can defeat any Earthbender alive." The General spoke, his voice suddenly becoming serious, all of his usual macho bravado disappearing into the same grim resolve that had kept him fighting with an intact army for his whole life. However much sometimes Lu found his father frustrating or disgusting, he had to respect that. _He fought the Fire Nation from the time that he could walk, practically. He still claims that he was weaned on firebender blood._

The familiar smirk soon returned to his face. "Don't worry, though. I won't hurt her too badly." The smirk soon turned into a crooked grin. "You might be thanking your old father for that one. Spirited women are fun, mark my words, but they're no good to marry."

Lu wondered if his mother had been a spirited woman. Father rarely spoke of her in any detail except the very crassest, much like most of the other women in his life. As far as Lu knew, all of his four siblings had different mothers. The General took out an oversized flask of whisky, taking a large swig before passing it to Lu, who gracefully declined.

"You're fortunate you're my son, boy. Otherwise, I wouldn't trust a man who doesn't drink. Sober men think they're better than others." The General shook his head and took another swig of the drink. "I'll be signing up for the tournament and you're going to be paying court to the Beifong girl." A heavy hand clapped Lu on the back, enough to make him stumble forwards, lest he be knocked straight to the ground. "And perhaps, just perhaps, we'll make a proper man of you yet."

"Yes, Father." Lu replied obediently, knowing that his father would brook no opposition in the matter.

 **Jinzhai:**

"Hakka! Have you read the news?" Ty Lee exclaimed brightly, practically bounding into the arena where Hakka was training several of the Dai Li who had made their way northwards to serve Azula, rather than stand down or go to jail with their kin in Ba Sing Se. Just about anyone else's arrival would have been greeted with a curt dismissal or distinct annoyance, but Hakka found himself distinctly unable to be upset with the cheerful gymnast.

He could make a little time for her, and thusly, he dismissed the Dai Li agents, who were probably grateful for a short rest themselves. _Better be grateful, because once she's gone, you're back on the training block. Most of you have got damn sloppy and you've only been out of your old duties for a few months. The Dai Li I remembered had discipline._ By all reports, the so-called 'New Dai Li' in Ba Sing Se now were essentially a criminal syndicate, run by one of Long Feng's senior lieutenants. _Quan Shi, the damned bonebender, no doubt._

"No, I haven't." Hakka didn't make a point of reading more than he absolutely had to- to be blunt, he wasn't very good at it and if the Princess needed him to know something about world events, she'd tell him so or make sure someone else did. Whatever it was, though, it'd got Ty Lee fairly excited and rushing out to tell him, rather than her girlfriend. "But I didn't need to, because you're going to tell me." He actually smiled slightly at her.

One of the things he liked best about Ty Lee was that she'd just smile back at him without even a hint of revulsion or distaste. As far as he could tell, she was just that kind to everyone, from the lowest scullery maid to the Princess herself. _Princess had better be good to her. She'll put up with a lot, but not an unlimited amount. She's a kind girl but she's strong in her own way. Nobody's pushover, not anymore. Seen a bit too much for that._

"There's a HUGE Earth Rumble in Omashu! And there's prizes for the top Earthbenders!" Ty Lee grinned broadly. "You should go down to Omashu and enter into it! You're like, the most powerful Earthbender I know! By far!"

"You think Princess Azula's going to let me do that?" Hakka raised his eyebrow. There was no point in bothering to pretend that he was disinterested- because, actually, he _really_ wanted to. He suspected that Toph would be there and he'd been itching to try beating her. _I figure my chances are as good as anyone's, which is to say, they're not great. But I'm also not the kid she fought in Ba Sing Se. I've grown since then. She might win, but I bet I can make her earn it._

 _She bleeds like any other human._

"You both had better start getting used to calling me _Queen._ " Azula corrected them both archly. "And as a matter of fact, yes, Hakka, I am not only going to allow you to enter this Earth Rumble, I mandate and order it. You will represent the Jinzhai province as its designated champion and bring honour and glory to your new home. And there's quite a bit of gold in it too." Azula smirked faintly. "You're not allowed to quit, of course, just because you might end up extremely wealthy."

"I swore an oath, Your Majesty." Hakka replied.

"And as a matter of course, Ty Lee and I will travel down to Omashu in person to cheer you on. I am, after all, an august and royal personage in this realm and diplomacy is important. Particularly with the authority of the Earth King at an all time low." Azula's eyes flitted upwards to Hakka. "I'm sure you'll do very well indeed."

"Of course you will!" Ty Lee grinned brightly and spontaneously hugged him, because of course she did.

 **Omashu**

"So, Sokka, how much did I get out of that match?" Toph grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "Hopefully someone a little tougher shows up soon. This is _too_ easy _._ " She could tell with her seismic vision that Sokka had been given twelve coins, but she wasn't great at telling exactly what metal they were or if they had a printed value. _Oh well. Makes Snoozles feel important._ Toph took a sip of her papaya juice and wiggled her feet contentedly in the dusty dirt of Omashu. Omashu dirt was one of her favorites, it was dry enough that it tended to suck up any moisture on her feet and it felt soft against the toes. Ba Sing Se dirt, by contrast, was always one step from being mud and Fire Nation dirt was often _hot._

The less said about stupid deserts and arctic regions of the world, the better. Toph had no intention of ever setting foot in either Water Tribe if she could help it. There, she'd be _actually_ blind and she wasn't sure how much earth there would be around to bend, either. But she was in Omashu, so she could enjoy the soft, powdery Omashu dirt on her feet. The papaya juice wasn't bad either. _Most of my competition's going to be going for something harder, and more of it when they lose to a tiny girl. Ha!_

But Toph wasn't actually stupid and she knew that the 'tiny blind girl' thing was basically over- people pretty much all knew about her reputation, to the extent that several people had pulled out of the competition as soon as she'd entered. _Whatever, they're probably losers anyway._

"We should go watch the competition! And- before you say anything, I know you can watch the fight with your feet! In glorious 3-D. So yes, I am saying that in full awareness-"

"Why would I go and watch a bunch of losers flop around like dying fish, Sokka? I'm the best there is. By far. Nobody out there is even remotely close." Toph sighed. "But if it makes you feel all cool and useful, _coach,_ then sure, let's go. I mean, it's not like they're gonna actually let us have any booze. If I weren't super famous, they wouldn't have even let us in." It was true. They were the youngest people in the bar by far.

They were interrupted by a rather well-known pair of footsteps as the Boulder decided to seat himself in the empty seat.

"The Boulder is glad to see the Blind Bandit again! He has been working on his technique _extensively_ and the Boulder thinks that he'll be seeing you in the final." The Boulder cheerfully exclaimed, already decidedly tipsy from what Toph was sure was about the twelfth or thirteenth beer he'd drank. "Regardless of who wins or loses, though, the Boulder is honored to share a tournament with you!" He slapped the table hard enough with his hand that it practically went flying. "Barkeep! A round for the Boulder and the Blind Bandit …" And he finally noticed Sokka's existence. "And sure, a round for the Blind Bandit's boyfriend too!"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" Toph replied, hoping that she wasn't blushing, because nope, she'd never considered that thought. _Nope nope nope. Ugh. I need to actually meet other people. Stupid brain._

"The Boulder apologizes for putting incorrect labels on your relationship. Whatever it is, the Boulder hopes you are very happy-" This time, the Boulder decided to clap Sokka on the shoulder, hard enough that Sokka was driven into the table. Toph couldn't help but laugh. Snoozles was always good for a laugh. And kinda cute when he was flustered. _I told you brain. Stop it._

"Bah to both of you! It is I, FIRE NATION MAN, that will win this Earth Rumble and take Omashu in the name of my glorious Fire Lord Oz-"

"Ozai's dead, dude." Toph replied, rolling her eyes. "He was beaten by the Avatar and lost his bending and then his ex-wife stabbed him like eight million times. You need to change your angle. Maybe turn face or something, I dunno."

"... for real?" Fire Nation man practically squeaked in reply.

"Yeah, that's pretty much true facts." Sokka shrugged. "I dunno, maybe you can find a new villain angle. I hear people don't like the Dai Li much. Maybe you can be like, Dai Li Man or something …"

Fire Nation Man seemed to ponder that for a moment. "... fine. I'M GONNA BRING YOU DOWN TO LAKE LAOGAI FOR A SMACKDOWN."

"... whatever works for you, champ." Toph shrugged.

 **Far Northern Earth Kingdom:**

"Wow, I never thought I'd run into so many airbending scrolls … this is amazing!" Aang smiled up at Detsen. "So you've been practicing these forms and now, you say that you can airbend?"

Detsen nodded, his face looking conflicted. "Avatar Aang … may I ask you a question?" Intent grey eyes met Aang's and for the first time, Aang felt a little wary. There was a great deal of anger, hurt, even rage in the young man's eyes. Aang was pretty sure he knew what he was going to ask. "I do not wish to cast doubt on your judgement, but why would you willingly travel with a Firebender?"

 _Right. We're not telling people right now that Zuko's not just any firebender, but the actual honest-to-spirits Fire Lord._ Aang nodded and drew himself up straight, even though Detsen was probably a good foot taller than him. "I know what it's like to be angry. I lost my people too- but a hundred years is a long time. Zuko doesn't want any part of what the Fire Nation did, or its conquests. He's my firebending master. He worked to help us fight the Fire Lord."

Detsen looked like he was considering the Avatar's words. "It is … necessary for the Avatar to learn all four elements." He took a deep breath. "I will trust your judgement about Zuko's character. There is … another one of us that might have airbending powers. My younger sister, Malu. She is eager to meet you." He added a slightly rueful grin. "She isn't like me. I'll be honest, Avatar, I'm having a hard time forgiving the Fire Nation,or anyone in it. They hunted us like foxdogs and made us … they made us break so many of our sacred oaths. Just to survive."

"Yeah … I noticed the meat thing." Aang could notice it even now, the ample evidence of the hunting and slaughter of animals. Everyone was wearing leather or furs and basically the entire diet was animal-based- Aang had only been able to take a few berries and a cup of butter tea and otherwise had to depend almost entirely on the food they'd got at the last town over. But how could he be upset at them? They'd been driven into some of the most brutal, unforgiving land in the world. Just about nothing grew. _The Air Nomads used to live high in the mountains, but we'd have farmlands and gardens at lower elevations._

Just at that moment, a slender girl with big grey eyes walked into the room and smiled brilliantly at Aang, who couldn't help but blush slightly- and he was fairly sure she did the same thing, though she didn't look away. It struck Aang that he'd not seen an Air Nomad girl in over a century.

"... Avatar Aang." Detsen finally spoke, clearly not particularly impressed. "This is my sister, Malu."

"Hello, Avatar Aang." Malu clasped her hands together and bowed in the traditional Air Nomad greeting. "It's an honour to meet you."

"The honor's all mine." Aang smiled, getting over himself quickly. Sure, there was no denying she was awfully pretty, but she was no Katara. And besides, she was probably going to be his student soon enough. Her and her brother, though from what Aang saw, he seemed to be proficient in most of the stances already. _But knowing the footwork and being able to actually guide the currents of air are not the same thing._ "Your brother mentioned that you could airbend too. Is that true?"

"Well, um … kind of. I don't really do the normal airbending thing, not so much anyway. My brother can get the wind going most of the time now! But um, I do this thing …" Malu trailed off. "Um. We should probably go outside. And you should also, um, cover your ears."

Aang grinned. "Well, now you've got me curious! Whatever it is … I'm guessing it's loud."

"Super loud." Malu replied, sounding a little unsure. "Really, really, really loud. Loud is pretty much the whole deal. I um, found it out when I was having an argument."

"It's extremely loud." Detsen concurred laconically.

Aang wasn't going to wait around and quickly left the cave they were in, to an open outdoor space, where he got ready to put his ears to his head. "Okay, whenever you're ready! Let's see what you've got, Malu!" Aang gave her his best encouraging grin.

"Um … okay." Malu waited for a moment until Aang had covered his ears.

And then the slender little girl proceeded to make the loudest noise out of her mouth that Aang had ever heard, an ultrasonic screech which violently assaulted his entire _body._ Covering his ears wasn't remotely enough. And even when she finished, which was probably about a second later, his ears were ringing loudly and he honestly wondered if there would be lingering damage.

"... I told you it was loud." Malu finally said with an embarrassed blush. "Sorry."

"What?" Aang asked, before simply waiting a moment for the ringing to die down a little. "Um. That's … that's a pretty powerful move." And as far as Aang knew, it was totally unique as well. He'd certainly never met an airbender that screamed before. "How do you feel about learning more about airbending? I'm not quite sure where I'm going to set up yet, but when I do, you and your brother- heck, everyone here, is invited."

 _Where am I going to do that? All the air temples are either occupied or … graves. I need to start somewhere new._ Aang promised himself that he was going to mull it over carefully.

 **Not Far Away:**

Mai wasn't sure how Zuko had convinced her that their time together, almost a honeymoon- they weren't likely to have much of the real thing when they got home, was best spent traipsing the world with the Avatar and his girlfriend, but she resented it already. She knew that Zuko and Aang were good friends and a small part of her thought seeing them hanging out together was weirdly cute, but- it also reminded her that, no, she wasn't the only person that Zuko was happy around.

And Katara. Katara who seemed to want to get elbow-deep into the personal, emotional lives of everyone she was around. Mai was pretty sure Katara meant well, but she also wanted to be left alone. _I don't want to be open to just, whoever. I barely met you. I don't know you._ Mai didn't want to be known. She was fine the way she was, or mostly so.

"Hey, Mai. I feel like we didn't get off on the best foot-" _Ugh._ Here Katara was again, trying to make things better, because of course she did. She was a fixer, someone who couldn't just let things alone. Mai wanted to simply pretend not to hear, but Katara was literally just ten feet away from her. Practically up in Mai's personal space. She'd have to reply to the waterbender _somehow._

"It's fine." It came out clipped and frosty and Mai knew that wasn't going to go over well- sometimes she wished she could feign cheerfulness just a little better. Then again, Ty Lee would probably just have hugged it out with Katara. Ty Lee hugged just about everyone. _And that's fine for Ty Lee. Ty Lee can be sunny and pretty and happy and see stupid colourful auras. I'm not like that. Never have been. But sometimes I think I'd do better if I could pretend just a little better._

"Mai … I'm really trying to understand if I said something wrong." Katara looked contrite, but Mai knew she was a cutting remark away from being angry. _It's the only time when you're interesting, actually._ She'd seen Katara pretty much single handedly take down a group of over a dozen bandits, half of whom were Earthbenders. _She's probably even more powerful than Azula._

 _Still not interested in being her new best friend._

"... look." Mai sighed, trying to be a little diplomatic, because they were probably going to be stuck together for awhile. "You didn't say anything wrong. I just don't, I dunno, I don't know you and you don't know me that well." Mai shrugged. "Not everyone is destined to be best friends, you know."

"Yeah, but it's like … you don't even want to be friends with anyone." Katara snapped back. "All you've done is complain! And talk about how things are awful. And if they're really that bad, why are you even here? I'm sure you could go back to the Fire Nation and do whatever." Mai was familiar with this. It happened all the time. Everyone lost patience. It was for the best.

Mai was fine with keeping her circle small.

"Sheesh." Mai rolled her eyes. "I came because my fiance wanted to hang out with his best friend, the Avatar. Trust me. I wouldn't have chosen hanging out in a freezing wasteland for what is probably the only decent vacation we'll get for years. But since our partners are all but kissing each _other-"_ Mai shrugged again. "Here we are. Whatever."

"What is even your _problem?"_ Katara sighed harshly and finally stamped off, leaving Mai by herself, which was a comfortable enough situation. Mai liked solitude. Solitude didn't have expectations. Idly, she picked up a stone, trying to toss it into a small gap in a larger pile of other rocks. As usual, she got it the first time. _Let's see if I can go two for two here._ She picked up another rock and thought about Katara and her fussiness and how annoying it was, and everyone's expectations of her and the fact that Zuko had dragged her out to this freezing wasteland instead of somewhere nice where they could be _alone together._

And this time, when she threw the rock, she felt it, a force from within, driving the stone into the pile just as accurately, but far harder than ever before. Her eyes opened wide.

 _That's not possible._

This time she pulled one of the throwing knives from her coat and flung it towards pile of rocks and this time, it was unmistakable, the slight wind bending in the direction of the throw, propelling the knife with incredible velocity and power, hard enough to bury it almost halfway into a large rock in the pile. If that rock would have been a human, Mai was sure it would've gone right through them and kept going.

 _Oh, spirits help me._

 _I … I think I just airbended. Airbent._


End file.
